Sunday, November 27, 2005

Something Weird Video has put together a phenomenal disc here. The subtitle is "Spook Show Spectacular" and the way the DVD's laid out provides an excellent context for viewing Monsters Crash the Pajama Party. The movie was part of a live show and, as the movie played, actors would emerge dressed as monsters to terrorize the audience. The disc is laid out with no clear indication as to what the buttons on the menu will play and, so, clicking around will net unusual results. (After playing around, I found an entirely separate feature entitled The Tormented, but having subjected myself to so many random, kitschy, spooktacular images by exploring the DVD, I thought it best to leave this flick for another day).

Monsters Crash the Pajama Party is, as a movie, awful, just awful. The titular monsters are really just a guy in a monkey outfit, though there are some other people made up like it's Halloween, and a mad scientist. Some girls spend the night in a haunted house for a sorority initiation and are harassed by the monster and scientist, as well as some guys. It's perfect if you're looking for one of those confused, hilarious movie experiences at 2 a.m., and would be good fodder for training MST3K wannabes if the movie itself wasn't constantly throwing in meta-jokes about its own awfulness. It's all in good fun, though, and great viewing if you're a lover of esoteric entries in campy juvenile horror from the 60s (which I am).

Anyway, it's only about thirty minutes long, including a seemingly interminable credit sequence in which men in monkey suits embody the role of director, producer, composer, editer, etc. The real treat is finding the goodies on the disc and trying to decipher meaning, any meaning, from them. So, the movie's very, very bad but it's wonderfully presented, just as it undoubtedly was during its original theatrical run.

My favorite part of this DVD is the first thing that plays. It's one of those black-and-white circular rotating hypnotic images and a voice says some of the following over four minutes:

"…you may feel yourself changing, from the gentle person you are, to a monster with dark green blood running through its veins. Or you may change into a werewolf with long fangs for teeth. Or you may become a vampire with a deep urge within you for a refreshing drink of blood… warm human blood.

Of course, these changes will happen to only a few of you, while others will remain as themselves, in a way. In a strange sort of way. And some may notice a feeling of loneliness and have an urge to run far into the darkness, to the nearest cemetery, to be in the company of the other souls who walk in the night. Some may imagine they feel long bony fingers clutching at their throats. If this should happen to you, don't move a muscle. Don't make a sound. Don't even breathe. Just cross your fingers as a cross usually protects you. If not, you will have the time of your life. The last time.

…Or you may feel other things, things without shape of any kind, yet you know somehow that they are very close to you. You may feel something crawling all over your body that leaves cold damp impressions on your skin. And some of you may feel your hands tingling a bit here and there. Don't be alarmed, these are the friendly ones. The only friendly things you'll feel during this night of terror. I leave you now in a trance of enjoyable hallucinations of the horrible things in store for you."